\False\, a. [Compar. {Falser}; superl. {Falsest}.] [L.
falsus, p. p. of fallere to deceive; cf. OF. faus, fals, F.
faux, and AS. fals fraud. See {Fail}, {Fall}.]
1. Uttering falsehood; unveracious; given to deceit;
dishnest; as, a false witness.
2. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance,
vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous; perfidious; as, a false
friend, lover, or subject; false to promises.
I to myself was false, ere thou to me. --Milton.
3. Not according with truth or reality; not true; fitted or
likely to deceive or disappoint; as, a false statement.
4. Not genuine or real; assumed or designed to deceive;
counterfeit; hypocritical; as, false tears; false modesty;
false colors; false jewelry.
False face must hide what the false heart doth know.
--Shak.
5. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous; as,
a false claim; a false conclusion; a false construction in
grammar.
Whose false foundation waves have swept away.
--Spenser.
6. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which
are temporary or supplemental.
7. (Mus.) Not in tune.
{False arch} (Arch.), a member having the appearance of an
arch, though not of arch construction.
{False attic}, an architectural erection above the main
cornice, concealing a roof, but not having windows or
inclosing rooms.
{False bearing}, any bearing which is not directly upon a
vertical support; thus, the weight carried by a corbel has
a false bearing.
{False cadence}, an imperfect or interrupted cadence.
{False conception} (Med.), an abnormal conception in which a
mole, or misshapen fleshy mass, is produced instead of a
properly organized fetus.
{False croup} (Med.), a spasmodic affection of the larynx
attended with the symptoms of membranous croup, but
unassociated with the deposit of a fibrinous membrane.
{False} {door or window} (Arch.), the representation of a
door or window, inserted to complete a series of doors or
windows or to give symmetry.
{False fire}, a combustible carried by vessels of war,
chiefly for signaling, but sometimes burned for the
purpose of deceiving an enemy; also, a light on shore for
decoying a vessel to destruction.
{False galena}. See {Blende}.
{False imprisonment} (Law), the arrest and imprisonment of a
person without warrant or cause, or contrary to law; or
the unlawful detaining of a person in custody.
{False keel} (Naut.), the timber below the main keel, used to
serve both as a protection and to increase the shio's
lateral resistance.
{False key}, a picklock.
{False leg}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Proleg}.
{False membrane} (Med.), the fibrinous deposit formed in
croup and diphtheria, and resembling in appearance an
animal membrane.
{False papers} (Naut.), documents carried by a ship giving
false representations respecting her cargo, destination,
ect., for the purpose of deceiving.
{False passage} (Surg.), an unnatural passage leading off
from a natural canal, such as the urethra, and produced
usually by the unskillful introduction of instruments.
{False personation} (Law), the intentional false assumption
of the name and personality of another.
{False pretenses} (Law), false representations concerning
past or present facts and events, for the purpose of
defrauding another.
{False rail} (Naut.), a thin piece of timber placed on top of
the head rail to strengthen it.
{False relation} (Mus.), a progression in harmony, in which a
certain note in a chord appears in the next chord prefixed
by a flat or sharp.
{False return} (Law), an untrue return made to a process by
the officer to whom it was delivered for execution.
{False ribs} (Anat.), the asternal rebs, of which there are
five pairs in man.
{False roof} (Arch.), the space between the upper ceiling and
the roof. --Oxford Gloss.
{False token}, a false mark or other symbol, used for
fraudulent purposes.
{False scorpion} (Zo["o]l.), any arachnid of the genus
{Chelifer}. See {Book scorpion}.
{False tack} (Naut.), a coming up into the wind and filling
away again on the same tack.
{False vampire} (Zo["o]l.), the {Vampyrus spectrum} of South
America, formerly erroneously supposed to have
blood-sucking habits; -- called also {vampire}, and {ghost
vampire}. The genuine blood-sucking bats belong to the
genera {Desmodus} and {Diphylla}. See {Vampire}.
{False window}. (Arch.) See {False door}, above.
{False wing}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Alula}, and {Bastard wing},
under {Bastard}.
{False works} (Civil Engin.), construction works to
facilitate the erection of the main work, as scaffolding,
bridge centering, etc.